European researchers aim to gain new insights into the universe with a gravitational wave observatory in space.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the space company OHB based in the German city of Bremen have now signed an important contract for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission at the Paris Airshow, an OHB spokeswoman announced on Tuesday.

OHB has been awarded the contract as the main contractor for the construction of the observatory, she said, adding that the contract is worth €839 million ($963 million). The Bremen-based company plans to build the observatory together with partners.

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The core of the mission is a constellation of three spacecraft, which will follow Earth in its orbit around the sun in the form of an equilateral triangle with sides of 2.5 million kilometres.

Each spacecraft is to carry free-floating test masses made of a gold-platinum alloy.

In space, gravitational waves distort spacetime and thus also minimally change the distances between the test masses, OHB said.

The mission is led by the ESA. It is a collaboration between ESA, its member states, the US space agency NASA, and an international consortium of scientists.

‘Einstein himself would be proud’

“As the first space mission designed to capture gravitational waves, LISA will open a brand-new window on the dark universe and test the known laws of physics to their extreme,” said ESA’s Director of Science Carole Mundell, according to the announcement.

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According to the chief executive of OHB System AG, Chiara Pedersoli, the observatory will enable scientists to see the universe with new eyes. “Personally, I am certain [Albert] Einstein himself would be proud to witness how mankind continues to build upon his legacy by proofing his theory.”

The launch of the mission is planned for mid-2035.